Archive for Health

Time went by so quickly and now I find myself almost at the end of February realizing I haven’t written on Mr.StrictlyIntimate in quite some time. A lot of you might wonder why I went M.I.A, other’s might be glad I did because they’ve had enough of myself, just like, well, myself. I simply couldn’t bear the thought of going on and on and on about myself and my inner motivations and problems — that’s why I needed a well deserved break.

Now I am back. Not bigger or better than ever, but most certainly in quite a different position than two months ago. Back then I had a job I hated, a boss who lost his temper every fifteen seconds and friends I managed to finally alienate because they brought me down more than they cheered me up.

In some ways I am back better than ever for I shook myself free of the devil sitting on my back as Florence + the Machine would put it. I successfully finished the first semester of my Master studies heading directly towards seconds semester. I have new exciting projects that I am working on. I am writing more than ever before. And so on and so on. Doesn’t it sound great if I just write it out and try to believe it myself?

Thing is, emotionally I am right where I have been before. The only thing that changed is that I am working differently than before. Emotionally, I am still captivated between denying the existence of love and shutting people out because I simply hate to talk about feelings. Currently I find it rather hard to keep my temper. I constantly have to remind myself to not get too angry with people but I just can’t stand stupidity. It upsets me just as much as the fact that I have sleeping problems like never before. In the last two weeks I had four nights where I did not sleep a single minute at all… all the other nights I tossed and turned in my bed counting VOGUE to fall asleep and when I managed to do so I woke up after a maximum of three hours and couldn’t get back to sleeping again.

Counting VOGUE every time I can’t sleep…

I think I should feel exhausted but I don’t. I just look forward to the second semester starting tonight as well as working on my projects. I think, if I keep on working hard and make every minute count one day it might pay off to be the way I am, even though I might be emotionally damaged.

Well, there it goes: I did it – I made it. I am so fucking great. Bravo to myself. But not just a simple applause – I expect standing ovations! Buildings should be erected in my honor reminding everyone on how amazingly, perfectly, beautifully and utterly great I am!

Okay – okay! I am coming back to earth but still I can be at least a little bit proud of myself because since yesterday I am through with my 28 Days of Sugar Cleansing. Yep, you’ve heard right: I made it and I feel great about it.My skin looks better, I feel better, I definitely consider myself being fitter (which, of course, also has a lot to do with my running schedule) and I am glad that I have changed my eating habits for good. I am a better person now. Well, okay, maybe not a much better person since I am still my cruel, sarcastic, cynical self but still a little bit better. A teensy bit. The only thing I will have to change before hitting the car with my sister and my friends for Croatia in a bit more than a week is my weight. I have lost about 7 Kilos. That wasn’t in my plan at all and even though I was quite aware of the fact that I weight loss was included into this detoxification I tried to prevent myself from that. Now I look even thinner than I did before and THAT I definitely do not like since not even my amazing Burberry Jeans fit me as perfectly anymore.

So – I will try to gain those kilos back in the next days. Of course in a healthy manner without having to get back to eating tons of junk food just to make some calories stick to my body. And, if it all doesn’t help I will have to glue some pounds on my body just to make everything fit perfectly for my well deserved Croatia Vacation.

That’s all for now, I hope you’ll have a great start into the weekend! Live hard. Party harder.

Everyone knows that I just love Florence + the Machine‘s amazingly perfect song ‘Shake It Out’ but I would have never thought that it would sounds that amazing when being stripped down and sung by voices so different from Florence Welch’s impeccable voice but the girls from Glee definitely nailed the song and I just can’t stop listening to it the whole day:

Well, I won’t miss my own life. I made a promise to myself years ago that I would do something important with my life. With myself. That I would become someone who wouldn’t just make something count for himself (because that would be quite jealous, to do everything for my own reasons.) but for others too. I try to be a role model to people. Above all, younger people, because it is them who need to be shown / taught that everything you do ought to be done with caution, dignity. I think people care far too less about the fact that a child might be watching every step one takes in public and therefore, we all should act like role models.

In order to not just become someone people can look up to, but become a better me for my own sake I am taking one step at a time to fulfill my bucket list. You may wonder how?

– Do a Sugar Cleansing for 28 days.
Already started on that one. Day 11. And I feel really great about it. Only 17 more days to go and I will reach my goal and feel better with every single day. The great thing about this cleansing is that it makes me dispute with nutrition (my personal and nutrition in general) and even made me start on cooking (who would have thought that day might ever come along?) and one can even eat it. Sure, every now and then I crave for a piece of cake or a cookie but I do neither touch nor eat nor lick it. So, I consider myself to be stronger than I would have expected.

– Get in better shape. Permanently. You know, with sports.
I didn’t just buy the clothes for running I actually started to do it. Running I mean, not just continuing to shop. Today I bet myself with my farthest best – a 2.48 mile / 4 kilometer run in the rain. I call myself a runner now since about two weeks and I feel really good about it. Every time I come back I feel eased and relaxed and as if my whole life starts again.

– The Art of Archery.
Yesterday I had my first lesson and let me tell you one thing – I LOVE IT. And, I will stay practicing the Art of Archery. Not just the physically but also mentally, meaning to read everything related to bows, arrows, the history of Archery, the roots of Archery, the culture, the development, the Art of War. Simply everything. And not just through Wikipedia but with the help of a lot of books. I was mesmerized by the Recurve Bow I was holding in hands shooting arrows with and I think it is the ONE I’m going to buy for myself.

How do you work on your bucket list? Making any progress – coming any closer to fulfilling your hopes and dreams and wishes?

…to all the ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Fans around the world. I always said that the movies were tremendously boring and bad because I always fell asleep when I attempted to watch the first part. I tried three times and three times I slept away. Well, until I decided to give it another shot after I read a lot about the background stories and the history of the Lord of the Rings (and yes, I did read the books by J.R.R. Tolkien). On the weekend I had some time for the movies and I couldn’t stop until I finished all three in a row – The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. They were amazing, stunning, utterly beautiful in the way they were being created and deserved every single Academy Award they’ve earned!

Day 5 of my 28 Days of Sugar Cleansing. I am not quite sure now what to actually do – some sources say 14 days, some say 21, some say 28. I am not quite sure about the exact amount of days so I will stick to what I have promised to you and myself – 28 days. Today I got back to work after a long Easter Weekend full of free time (that I definitely deserved!) and it was quite hard not to eat a cookie here or a bonbon there because that is just what we do. We – my two colleagues in Marketing and I. So it is me eating nuts and fruit and drinking about 6 Liters of water every single days. But it is good for me, I really can feel it already. Even though I just slept four hours I have never felt fitter and better and healthier ever before!

I even had a change of Starbucks today. I didn’t drink my (usually daily) triple grande soy latte macchiato extra hot but an espresso doppio and a bottle of water. I met C and A there. Both looked incredibly fantastic – Alexandra (who’s going to be one of the top therapists in a couple of years) with her new Yves Saint Laurent bag and Carolin (a fabulous shoe designer and great friend) with her amazing new pair of Shoes by Kurt Geiger and me without new clothes (that’s a new one, right?!) but with a brand new attitude towards life. But I don’t try to force them into seeing everything in my reason. I simply hate when people do that because everyone ought to do what he or she thinks is right to do. Well, with themselves only, of course. Killing someone doesn’t fall into that category – that’s a different story. A whole different story.

After my run (Today just 2.2 Kilometers / 1.35 Miley because there was a lot of work waiting for me at home but I didn’t want to start before not at least running one mile. It seems that all of a sudden I need it to clear my head from weird thoughts I have been having lately and several problems I can’t seem to find a soothing resolution for. Well, not in the last couple of days at least.) it is now time to work and have a little bit of environmental acoustic irradiation while working by watching the Devil wears Prada.

Ellie Goulding – Human
[Album: Bright Lights (Deluxe Edition)] – even thought her song ‘The Writer’ has been my PowerSong yesterday I can’t find myself being able to stop listening to her album. It is just divine and beautiful and inspiring.

So, I have just returned from a great run in the cold fresh air that I actually enjoyed. Never would have I believed that I would say this but it is quite soothing if you are not freezing because you are, well, running. I was amazing and I felt weirdly and newly free / free-spirited. It was snowing. I mean, snowing. I thought we would be over that? I thought I could wave my winter couture goodbye to welcome all the pretty suits and opportunities and colors of Spring’s collections?

I ran 2.12 miles which equal 3.42 kilometers and while I know a lot of people might think this is not very much I just feel the need to point out that I just started to run again on the 3rd of April 2012, after I had a ligament rupture last year in September. So, no pressure. Neither from you nor from myself because I am doing this on my own schedule the way my body tells me it is right to do. I just try to beat myself with every training trying to be better than the last one so I came from one straight mile to 2.12 miles on my fourth run. And, I am a little bit proud because I stick to it, which might also be because of my great outfit but seriously, if you are not doing anything with style and the right attitude you are not doing it right at all! At least, that is my point of view.

This is Day 3 of my 28 Days of Sugar Cleansing and so far I actually feel good. I read a lot about the cleansing before I started it and a lot of sources wrote that in the first days of the procedure one might feel certain stages and symptoms very similar to flu and heavy headaches. (Here I wonder if I am doing something wrong because I do not have any of these symptoms?)
Nonetheless, I stick to it and I feel really confident with it. I would be lying if I’d say I wouldn’t miss a macaron now and then while watching Gossip Girl or Hart of Dixie or any other TV Show. And, I would be definitely lying if I’d say I wouldn’t miss bread – I mean bread! White, tasty, fresh bread. Ah, damn it, I’ll stick to it. These cravings will be over soon and I even started to cook. Scary, ha? But, it tastes quite good most of the time though it isn’t quite special – I mean, everyone can prepare a chicken breast or cut tomatoes or green salad but still it is closer to cooking than I have ever been!

Due to a question on Facebook about my diet I thought I might as well share my ‘wisdom’ (thanks to Google and several books and other very great sources) of yet another no sugar lesson.

Question:
‘Is alcohol off your grid as well due to carbs?’

Answer:
Considering the fact that natural carbs like in potatoes are perfectly fine they aren’t in noodles and so on because the process of creating a noodle contains the fact of adding industrial sugar. So, carbs are fine – you just have to understand that in sugar detox there is a big difference in carbs. Natural carbs and produced carbs. As well as there is a big difference in natural sugar from fruit and vegetables and industrial sugar put into various dishes.
But, back to the alcohol. Fact is, hard alcohol if drunken straight doesn’t contain carbs or sugar. “Even though it’s made from natural sugars and fruits, grains, sugarcane, berries and dash; those sugars are converted to alcohol during the fermentation and distillation process.” (source)
So, alcoholic beverages one can enjoy without having to worry if there are any carbs or traces of sugar in it are straight tippled Gin (except for Sloe Gin), Rum, Whiskey and Vodka.

As long as none of these four beverages are flavored they do not contain any sugar and you can go on getting wasted on the, which I won’t do since that doesn’t suit me or my new won perspective on healthier living and a better relationship to myself and my body.

So this is it. I am going cold turkey. NO, neither on alcohol (done that before during Lenten season) nor on fashion (I’m not plain stupid!). I am going cold turkey on sugar. Yeah, you are right I am starting to take on my bucket list and though I actually planned on starting tomorrow I just got up at 6 am this morning and decided that this Friday would be THE perfect day to start.

Do’s
– Three or four ounces of lean protein with every meal
– Fresh Fruit
– Vegetables
– Whole Grains (Brown Rice, Legumes)
– Plain and Unsweetened Yogurt (if you like taste in your yogurt you can add little fresh fruit or stevia or agave to it)
– Salad (for dressing only use olive oil or vinegar or both together)
– At least 30 minutes of Sports every single day (Cardio, running, swimming – whatever you feel like doing)
– Eat enough Protein
– Stick to low glycemic foods
– Check with your Doctor if such a detox could put you to any physical risk because of insulin resistance or hypoglycemia (only the one who plays it safely plays it correctly!)

A lot of people might wonder why I want to do that or actually already started relinquishing sugar – well, here’s an answer: To a healthy mind belongs a healthy body. The average person consumes 150 pounds of sugar a year, which doesn’t seem quite healthy to me and I want to finally have a perfect balance between my body and my mind. I want to feel really great again and I can only achieve that with sports, a cleansing to get all the crappy stuff out of my system, great clothes (that I already have as you may know) and my friends. The latter two I have – the other things I still have to work on. Sports is on my daily list since a couple of days now and the cleansing started today so I guess I am on a pretty good way to get in shape. At least the shape I expect myself to have. This is who I do this all for. Myself. Pretty selfish, I know BUT as I always love to point out – how can you expect someone else to love you if you can’t love yourself? And I am working on fully loving and embracing myself again.

Love of the Moment.

Since I can remember being able to connect the terms fashion and wedding I was able to only think about one person to personify both terms perfectly, romantically and naturally. Vera Wang. Ever since I had the dream of having my own wedding I imagined myself in a custom made Vera Wang suit and yet, though I know Vera only creates the most immaculate dresses for one of the most spectacular and beautiful day in a woman's life I also know that one very day I will be walking down the aisle in a custom made, white, silk Vera Wang suit looking at the man I am about to marry knowing that this is not just the most wonderful moment of my life but also the most memorable and most fashionable.

Vera Wang Spring 2012 Bridal Couture - Dress: Harper (front)

Vera Wang Spring 2012 Bridal Couture - Dress: Harper (back)

I would have never thought that I could imagine someone at their own wedding NOT dressed up in white but the moment I saw this dress (Harper) in Vera Wang's Spring/Summer 2012 fashion show I just knew it was right. The fabrics, the color, the texture, the shape - the whole look is immaculately perfect!

'This strapless mermaid gown with its trapunto-stitched bustier, the playful back bow and the multi-tiered back bustle with cascading two-toned floral embroidery is just the one dress you want to put on and never give away.' I can imagine my best friend in this dress. Turning around in the mirror know that this is so right. So beautiful. So unique. It is a magnificent equilibrium of playful charm meeting elegance dignity. It is special yet absolutely wearable. It is the dream of a dress!